Afghan Jirga discusses peacemaking with Taliban (03.06.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

Some 1,600 Afghan tribal elders are meeting for a second day in Kabul to discuss whether to make peace with Taliban leaders and, if so, which ones. Delegates have broken into 28 groups for two sessions of talks, each aiming to come up with ideas on how President Hamid Karzai's government should pursue peace with the Taliban.

US military takes command of UK troops in Afghanistan (01.06.2010)

(Source:BBC)

The US will take control of about 8,000 British troops in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, later.

The move is part of a restructuring of Nato forces, with command and control in southern Afghanistan split into two.

NATO Commander in Afghanistan says Iran helping Taliban (31.05.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal has said that Iranian assistance to Afghanistan is "natural" but that some of that aid is military aid to Taliban fighters. McChrystal told reporters at a news conference on May 30 that the training of Taliban fighters takes place "inside Iran" and that weapons from Iran are crossing into Afghanistan.

ICRC defends first aid training for Taliban (26.05.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

The International Red Cross defended on Wednesday its first aid training for Taliban militants in Afghanistan, saying that the basic medical training is a core part of its work.

Afghanistan's peace jirga pushed back until June (25.05.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

Afghanistan has pushed back a national conference aimed at reaching a peace deal with militants who are willing to stop fighting. The government says "technicalities" have forced it to delay the start of the so-called peace jirga until June 2 -- the second postponement announced within the past month.

EUPOL Afghanistan extended for 3 years (18.05.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

The Council adopted today a decision on the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL Afghanistan), extending the mission and its mandate for a period of three years, from 31 May 2010 until 31 May 2013.

Umbrella bodies deem NGO clean-up "fair" (13.05.2010)

(Source:Irinnews)

The Afghan government's move to dissolve 152 local and 20 foreign NGOs was "fair" and the process inclusive, NGO coordination bodies say. … The NGOs Clearance and Annulment Commission, established by presidential decree and comprised of the representatives of several ministries and NGOs, said most of the 172 NGOs were dissolved because they had failed to submit six-monthly reports to the Ministry of Economy (MoE).

The Afghan National Army: a force in fragments – new ICG report (12.05.2010)

(Source:International Crisis Group)

Although the Afghan National Army could help stabilise the country, many challenges remain, including lack of leadership, low literacy, and poor logistics capabilities. “A Force in Fragments: Reconstituting the Afghan National Army”, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the development of the Afghan national defence forces.

Mysterious blight destroys Afghan poppy harvest (12.05.2010)

(Source:New York Times)

Up to one-third of Afghanistan’s poppy harvest this spring has been destroyed by a mysterious disease, according to estimates revealed Wednesday by United Nations officials, potentially complicating the American and NATO military offensives this summer in the country’s opium-producing heartland.

Report: Afghanistan to offer Taliban leaders exile for peace (06.05.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

A British newspaper says Afghanistan is proposing to offer top Taliban leaders exile if they agree to stop fighting against the government.

US releases damning Afghan report ahead of Karzai visit (29.04.2010)

(Source:BBC)

The US defence department has said that only a quarter of what it regards as key regions in Afghanistan support the government of President Hamid Karzai. The Pentagon said in a report that much of the country was either neutral to the central Afghan authorities or supportive of the Taliban insurgency.

UN shuts Kandahar mission as security worsens (27.04.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

The United Nations said on Tuesday it had shut its mission in Kandahar and evacuated many foreign staff from the southern Afghan city, in a sign of worsening security before a major U.S. offensive.

Afghanistan says 4-5 years to take over security (25.04.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

Afghanistan's security forces will need four to five years before they are fully capable of taking over responsibility for the country's security, its Defence Ministry said on Sunday. NATO foreign ministers agreed at a meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, last week on a plan to begin turning over responsibility for security in some provinces to Afghan troops over the course of the next year so that Western troops can begin to withdraw.

Afghanistan 'peace jirga' delayed until end of May (21.04.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

A traditional "peace jirga" of Afghanistan's tribal and community leaders has been delayed until late May because of clashes in the president's travel schedule, an official told AFP on Wednesday.

Afghan election chief to probe fraud (18.04.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

Afghanistan's newly appointed election commission chief promised today to remove officials responsible for fraud in last year's presidential vote.

Sweden and Turkey agree on cooperation in northern Afghanistan (15.04.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

Sweden and Turkey today concluded an agreement on cooperation in northern Afghanistan, in the area in which the Swedish-Finnish ISAF Regional Command already operates. The Turkish contribution is to consist of the creation of a civilian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

Helmand arrests shock aid workers (12.04.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

The detention of nine members of an Italian medical NGO in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, on charges of “terrorism and assassination” has embarrassed aid workers across the country.

Afghan leader highlights importance of peace jirga (12.04.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has voiced support for peace negotiations with the country's armed insurgency and highlighted the importance of a regional peace jirga planned for early May, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reports.

Pressed to act, Karzai fires election monitors (07.04.2010)

(Source:New York Times)

Under enormous pressure from Western governments, President Hamid Karzai ousted Afghanistan’s top two elections officials, who were seen as sanctioning the widespread fraud that favored him during last year’s presidential race.

Afghanistan leads global hashish production, UN report finds (31.03.2010)

(Source:UN News)

Afghanistan, the world’s biggest producer of opium, is now also the global leader when it comes to the production of hashish, according to a new United Nations survey released today.

Report: NATO to launch Kandahar offensive in June (30.03.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

U.S. military officials say NATO forces in Afghanistan will begin their offensive against the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in June. … NATO has already announced plans to begin operations against the insurgent stronghold this summer, but without giving specific dates.

German police training centre opens in Kunduz (29.03.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

The German Government is stepping up its commitment to rebuilding the Afghan police force. During his trip to Afghanistan, Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière today (29 March) opened the new police training centre in Kunduz together with the German Ambassador to Afghanistan.

UN head in Afghanistan meets with militant group (25.03.2010)

(Source:Washington Post)

The top U.N. official in Afghanistan has met with a delegation from a Taliban-linked militant group that has extended a peace offer to the Afghan government.

Security Council extends mandate of UN mission by one year (22.03.2010)

(Source:UN News)

The Security Council voted today to extend the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another 12 months and to expand its mandate to include support for the parliamentary elections scheduled for September.

Karzai holds peace talks with insurgent faction (22.03.2010)

(Source:BBC)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met a delegation from the country's second biggest militant group, officials say. The Kabul talks are the first confirmed direct contact between Mr Karzai and envoys of former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami faction.

Joint approach to stabilise and rebuild Afghanistan (02.03.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

Australia's military, police and civilian agencies are taking a joint approach to stabilise and rebuild Afghanistan.

US aims to shift strategy to combat Afghan opium (01.03.2010)

(Source:Reliefweb)

The United States is shifting its strategy on opium production in Afghanistan from eradication of crops to a broader focus involving interdiction and alternative agriculture, an official said Monday.

German parliament votes to extend, boost Afghan mission (26.02.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

Germany's parliament has voted to send up to 850 more troops to Afghanistan and extend the mission by one year.

UN chief details recruiting problems in Afghanistan (24.02.2010)

(Source:RFE/RL)

A memo from the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to his staff describes the poor recruitment rate months after a deadly attack on the UN compound in Kabul, RFE/RL reports.

NATO probing possibility of Russian arms assistance for Kabul (24.02.2010)

(Source:Eurasianet)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia are probing a deal under which Moscow could provide the Afghan military with helicopters and possibly others forms of assistance. In return, Russia might gain a voice in the shaping of international security policy for Afghanistan, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told EurasiaNet.